Accident Whiskey: a Stupid Genre

Diageo recently released its latest whiskey in the Orphan Barrel series, the Gifted Horse, in which a young corn whiskey and bourbon were "accidentally" mixed with some older bourbon. Wow! How lucky for the largest spirits company in the world that some corn whiskey (which usually sucks) was poured into a 17 year old bourbon...and now it's $50 a bottle.

Unfortunately, the "accident whiskey" seems on the way to becoming a genre of its own. First came Serendipity, a blend of Scotch in which someone poured young Glen Moray into old Ardbeg.  How...serendipitous. Then Wild Turkey introduced Forgiven, in which someone dumped rye into the bourbon.

Just like those old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercials in which someone eating a chocolate bar collides with someone eating a jar of peanut butter and makes a delicious discovery, the Accident Whiskey backstories are silly and seem implausible. (Who the hell walks around eating peanut butter right out of the jar?)  Then, the company bottles it and gives it a name like WTF Whiskey which emphasizes the accidental nature of its creation.

The prevalence of these Accident Whiskeys would lead one to believe that either these stories are marketing fluff or whiskey distilleries are run by total idiots who randomly dump barrels together. The whiskey companies can let me know into which category they fall.
 

More Orphan Barrels: Rhetoric and Forged Oak

It's time to try two more of Diageo's Orphan Barrel bourbons.  Rhetoric was the third release in the series and Forged Oak is the most recent.  Both were distilled at the Bernheim Distillery.  The Bernheim Distillery, of course, was entirely rebuilt in 1992.  Presumably these come mostly from the new Bernheim distillery, which is currently owned by Heaven Hill, but there could be older barrels mixed in as well.

Rhetoric, 20 yo, 45% abv ($85)

The nose has a nice, dry, oaky note with a touch of lemon rind. The palate has caramel and oak then moving into red wine notes; it's a  bit diluted tasting. It has a nice milk chocolate finish.  Overall, this one was less interesting than the first two releases, though still decent.  That being said, I'd never pay $85 for a bottle.  

Forged Oak, 15 yo, 45.25% abv ($65)

The nose is a bit astringent on the opening. With a little air, it gets honey and black pepper.  The palate is pancake syrup (not real maple syrup, the fake stuff).  It's thin without much substance.  On the finish it turns a bit spicy. While Rhetoric was was a bit less interesting than Old Blowhard and Barterhouse, Forged Oak is a solid step down from those earlier releases.  It's sweet and flat and that's about it.

The first two bottles from this series made me think critics had been a bit too harsh, but these two were unremarkable.

Thanks to John Burlowski for the samples.  

More Orphans: Old Blowhard Bourbon

Having liked the Barterhouse 20 year old bourbon from Diageo's Orphan Barrel series, I thought I would try the original release.  Old Blowhard is a 26 year old bourbon distilled at the old Bernheim distillery. I don't see as many of these on the shelf these days as the Barterhouse, but there may still be some out there.

Old Blowhard, 26 yo, 45.35% abv ($150)

This has a great nose of ancient, oaky bourbon. The palate comes on with sweet caramel and then transitions into intense oak with a touch of acid.  The finish is dry and ashy like an old Zinfandel with a touch of bitterness.

Of all the Diageo Orphan Barrels, this initial release probably has the worst reputation. Again, I was surprised how un-terrible it was.  It's not great by any means, but it's perfectly decent and I'd happily drink a glass or two anytime.

That being said, I wouldn't pay $150 for a bottle, but to be fair, it is 26 years old.  Age always adds price and it's not as if there are tons of comparable 26 year old bourbons going for much cheaper.  Going head to head with the Barterhouse, though, the Barterhouse is the winner in both taste and price.  

Diageo's Orphan Barrel: Barterhouse 20

I've steered clear of Diageo's Orphan Barrel series since it didn't hold much appeal for me, but I recently sampled the second Orphan release, the 20 year old Barterhouse.  This release is so limited that I saw it for sale at my local Walgreen's for $64.

Barterhouse comes from the Bernheim Distillery which means it was likely bourbon that was intended for IW Harper or Old Charter (See my older posts for more information on the Old Bernheim and New Bernheim Distilleries).


Barterhouse, 20 year old, 45.1% abv ($64)

The nose on this is delightful with lots of oak and wood polish.  The palate is minerally, woody and very, very dry.  It's a bit flat toward the end.  The finish has big mineral notes.

The Orphan Barrel releases have been criticized for both cynical marketing and subpar, over oaked whiskey, but I liked this one. It's unusually dry and oaky, but I thought that made it interesting.  Certainly, though, if you like your bourbon sweet, this one isn't for you. Hmm, maybe I'll go back and try some of those other orphans.